Let It Begin With Me: Creating an Assets Inventory for Yourself and Your Organization

As an attendee of recovery meetings, I have found program slogans to be very helpful in focusing my mind and attention to things that are in my control. So much of recovery work is based on what we can do right now because these things are in our control. I have been a regular attendee of Al Anon meetings for at least five years. Al Anon is an organization for those who have friends and/or family who have trouble drinking. The focus of Al Anon is not to help fix the alcoholic (or problem drinker), but to turn the focus on yourself. Again, the idea of what is in our control is front and center. People in Al Anon will talk about the three Cs: I didn’t cause the drinking. I can’t control it. Finally, I can’t cure it. What I can do is do what I can for myself to help my own recovery.

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Recovery is typically thought of as a process through which one combats a disorder or dependence that has taken over one’s live to ill-effect. We also can think of recovery as a way of returning to a normal (or better) state of functioning. The organization SAMHSA defines recovery as, “A process of change through which individual improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive to reach their full potential.” Change clearly becomes a primary goal because the current state of affairs is not acceptable nor sustainable as a pathway for good health (mental or physical) and relationships (social, personal, or with oneself).

The emphasis on oneself becomes the starting point for recovery and change. Thus, the slogan “Let it begin with me” always resonated, well, with me. Regardless of the condition or addiction being tackled, if you do not focus on your own recovery first, and have good reason for why you personally want to change, you are going to have a harder time sticking to the program and making the change permanent. We have to put the focus on ourselves and begin to rebuild ourselves and our lives through us. Thus, “Let it begin with me.”

The tricky part of this slogan is what if you don’t think there is a “me” that is valuable, suitable, or up to the task? “Let it begin with me” becomes more challenging if you don’t think the “me” in that slogan has anything to offer. If one is so hollowed out by trauma, anxiety, grief, pain, suffering, negative voices, and the like, then “me” can be a tough place to start. While I am only able to speak for only myself and my own experiences, it likely is safe to say that people come to recovery with ample holes in themselves usually left by trauma which can carve parts of us out and leave nothing left. Or at least that is the way it can feel: empty and in need of something to fill the space.

Additionally, as a society we often approach the world from a needs-based or deficit approach. The focus in this model is what is missing, or what needs to be fixed. It is perhaps easier to look at what is wrong with any situation, and to diagnose the problems. When we go to a doctor, more time might be spent on what needs to be fixed versus what is going well. Community development often occurs through a needs-based model. Organizations might bring in consultants and training programs to fill gaps and fix problems. All of this on the surface makes sense in that we should fix what is wrong. If you take your car to a mechanic to get repaired, you want the problem to be solved rather than a lot of time spent discussing and analyzing what works.

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However, people and social systems are not mechanical objects to be fixed. Primarily focusing on what is wrong can take a toll. Noone likes to be told what they did wrong to the exclusion of what they have done well. As an educator, I try to point out parts of papers that I like along with those parts that I think could be improved. Building on strengths or assets is an important strategy to build a path forward to improvement, and even recovery. If all you do is talk about what is missing, you are likely to miss what you have.

Strength-based therapy is an approach in treatment that focuses on inner strengths, capabilities, and aptitudes. “The aim of strengths-based therapy is to improve the client’s mindset and instill a positive world view so they can perceive themselves as resourceful and resilient when they are experiencing adverse conditions” (Link). It is similar in many ways to Assets-Based Community Development, which is a community development approach that focuses on the skills and capabilities that are already present in a community, using those elements as resources to further empower, development, and change the community for the better.

This isn’t to say that within each of us and every situation there lies everything that is needed for change. Stuff sometimes needs fixing, and to fix it there needs to be an intervention to affect those repairs by introducing outside elements to make it whole. However, that alone negates and ignores the already prepared foundation on which those interventions can take hold. In order to create sturdy construction, you need to find bedrock to support the structure. The assets within us, a community, or an organization are that bedrock, as well as being able to “Let it begin with me.”

Here are suggested steps to using an assets-based strategy:

1.       Change focus from deficits to assets: This might be easier said than done. When a therapist asked me to list 10 good things about myself, I complied while also producing 12 things I wanted to change. When you are accustomed to seeing the world from a negative and deficit perspective, it can be hard to shift our attention to the assets. But it is a starting point we must take.

 2.       Conduct an assets inventory: Whether for yourself, a community, or an organization, it is vital to take an inventory of what resources you already have available that you can deploy to make changes and build. This might be in the form of a notebook or journal for yourself, or a survey instrument for communities and organizations. The goal is to get all the ingredients for success that you already have.

 3.       Think with others about how those assets can be used: While the focus might be on you, there is no reason to go it alone. Others might have a better perspective on how those assets can be creatively used toward accomplishing whatever goals you have your sights set on. Especially in communities and organizations, you want to include a broad representation of persons who can think about how those elements can be used.

 4.       Begin to build on those assets to make change and recovery possible: The final step is to start the process of (re)building. By seeing yourself, your community, or organization as valuable based on what it possesses (rather than worthless or unproductive), you can actually begin with me because now you can see a “me” that is worthy and capable of recovery, change, and growth.

 If you have any questions about how to conduct an assets inventory for your community or organization, be sure to contact me using this link. You also can see a video I recorded on using assets-oriented approaches in your organization here https://youtu.be/NR--L57BN4Y

If you are in need of mental health or recovery services, make sure you look at Psychology Today for a list of therapists in your area, contact your local recovery and treatment center, as well as reach out to social support networks who are there to help you.